PA Man Lied About Shooting Plot After Fantasy Football Dispute: Feds

PHILADELPHIA —A 25-year-old Philadelphia man has been charged with making fake claims that a Fantasy Football group member was going to carry out a mass shooting in Europe, federal authorities said.

Matthew Gabriel, 25, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage to two counts of interstate and foreign communication of a threat to injure, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said Wednesday.

According to the guilty plea agreement, the defendant had an online disagreement with a member of his fantasy football chat group.

Gabriel learned that the member with whom he disagreed was going to study abroad in Norway in August 2023.

On Aug. 3, 2023, Gabriel, while located in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, submitted an anonymous “tip” through the internet to the Norwegian Police Security Service, also known as Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste (“PST”), claiming that a member of his fantasy football chat group was going to carry out a mass shooting in Norway:

"On Aug. 15 a man named [Victim 1] is headed around Oslo and has a shooting planned with multiple people on his side involved. They plan to take as many as they can at a concert and then head to a department store. I don’t know any more people then that, I just can’t have random people dying on my conscience. He plans to arrive there unarmed spend a couple days normal and then execute the attack. please be ready. he is around a 5 foot 7 read head coming from America, on the 10th or 11th I believe. He should have weapons with him. please be careful," Gabriel's claim alleged.

Law enforcement in Norway and the United States spent hundreds of manhours reacting to and investigating the threatened mass shooting for a five-day period.

When interviewed by the FBI, Gabriel admitted that he had submitted the “tip” to the PST and that the tip was false.

Then, on March 22, the defendant, again while located in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, sent an email posing as another individual to the University of Iowa with the subject line “Possible Threat.”

The email stated:

"Hello, I saw this in a group chat I’m in and just want to make sure everyone is safe and fine. I don’t want anything bad to happen to anybody. Thank you. A man I believe Nebraska sent this, and I want to make sure that it is a joke and no one will get hurt," Gabriel alleged.

The email then contained a screenshot from the fantasy football group of a message that stated “Hello University of Iowa a man named [Victim 1] told me he was gonna blow up the school.”

Gabriel knew that the victim was not going to blow up the university and that the message had been sent in jest by another member of the fantasy football group regarding Gabriel’s prior threat, authorities said.

Despite knowing that there was no actual threat to the University of Iowa, the defendant transmitted the email knowing that the University of Iowa would view it as a true threat.

“While already being prosecuted for one hoax threat spurred by, of all things, his fantasy football league, Matthew Gabriel inexplicably decided to send another,” U.S. Attorney Romero said. “His actions were extremely disruptive and consumed significant law enforcement resources on two continents, diverting them from actual incidents and investigations. Hoax threats aren’t a joke or protected speech, they’re a crime. My advice to keyboard warriors who’d like to avoid federal charges: always think of the potential consequences before you hit ‘post’ or ‘send.’”

“You do not get to express emotions through violence or threats of violence,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “We thank our international partners for their assistance in bringing together this case. The FBI will continue to work alongside partners at all levels to protect our community.”

The defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.